Deborah Harry - Los Angeles, USA, 2007.

In 2007 Cyndi Lauper launched the True Colors Tour within the USA, and Deborah Harry, was one of the main participants along with Erasure, and The Dresden Dolls, with comedian Margaret Cho as MC.

The tour performed in fifteen cities between June 8th and June 30th, 2007.

Other artists and special guests who appeared for specific tour locations included The Gossip, Rosie O'Donnell, The Cliks, Indigo Girls, Cazwell, Amanda Lepore, Diana Yanez and Rufus Wainwright.

This is Debbie's performance on the final night at the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA, on June 30th, 2007.

Source: Soundboard or incredibly good audience recording (the audience are very high in the mix between songs hence the possibility - this does not detract).

Sound Quality: Very good stereo @ 192kbps.

Genre: When you think about it, Punk rock, New Wave, pop rock, disco, reggae, dance, not bad eh?

Set: Full Set.

Set List:

01. Introduction
02. Heat Of The Moment
03. French Kissing In The USA
04. Whiteout
05. The Jam Was Moving
06. If I Had You
07. Necessary Evil
08. Rain
09. School For Scandal
10. Rush Rush
11. Lovelight
12. You're Too Hot
13. Two Times Blue

Links: Official site HERE. Official Blondie site HERE.

Comments: In the summer of 2007, Blondie toured in the UK once again (I'm not complaining!).

Around this time, Debbie Harry delineated the different persona's (Blondie the band, her role in the band, and Deborah Harry the singer) in an interview which asked why she played only solo music on the 2007 True Colors Tour.

Her response was "I've put together a new trio with no Blondie members in it, I really want to make a clear definition between Debbie's solo projects and Blondie, and I hope that the audience can appreciate that and also appreciate this other material.".

She also released a solo album in the USA, and UK 'Necessary Evil' (released USA, October 9th, 2007, and UK, September 17th, 2007), so who can blame her for being preoccupied by her then new solo songs, on the 'True Colors' gigs, and wanting a clear line between her various musical outputs.

Anyway this is a very cool concert performance.

Download link in comments below and by clicking on the picture above.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk - Deborah Harry

Candi Staton - Glastonbury 2008

With Glastonbury 2009 soon to be upon us (oh! how this 'post' will soon be out of date), this is a quick glance back to Glastonbury 2008 courtesy of Candi Staton.

The BBC tend to cover artist across the various festival stages, albeit in most cases not the whole sets, often just one or two numbers, thankfully with Candi Staton they covered some great numbers in her performance.

Born Canzetta Maria Staton in Hanceville, Alabama, USA, it was great to watch her performance last year (on TV in my case), and wonder once again, where three decades slipped by since I first came across her music.

Source: BBC TV and radio coverage.

Sound Quality: Very good quality stereo audio @192kbps mp3.

Genre: R&B, Soul, Disco.

Set: Part of her set (BBC broadcast material as listed below).

Set List:

1. Young Hearts Run Free
2. Nights on Broadway
3. Suspicious Minds
4. In the Ghetto
5. Old Man Sweet Heart
6. You Got the Love

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: This is from Candi Staton's performance on the first night of Glastonbury 2008 (Friday 27th June 2008), recorded live on the Jazz World Stage, a good number of fans have fed back that this performance really kicked things off that night in this arena.

'Young Hearts Run Free' remains to this day, one of my favorite songs, from way back in 1976.

Considering that here in the UK the whole punk backlash thing was kicking off that year, this song remains a reminder that some great popular music was still around at that time.

As this edited selection of songs from her 2008 performance demonstrates, Candi Staton has still got the spark and creativity some thirty something years on.

Download link in comments below and by clicking on the picture above.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk - Candi Staton

Shania Twain - Live In London 2003.

This is Shania Twain live in London back in 2003.

This performance was at the famous Abbey Road studios in London, in front of a thoroughly enthusiastic audience.

Abbey Road studios were in part made famous both because of The Beatles album and the Fab Four crossing the road outside, thankfully this often copied picture was not taken up by Shania Twain.

Perhaps of more interest is the size of the premises for live performances, clearly there were a good number of fans present for this event.

Recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio Two, as part of their 'In Concert' series, the performance was on the 26th July 2003.

Source: FM radio broadcast (BBC Radio Two).

Sound Quality: Very good quality stereo @192kbps mp3.

Genre: Country - Rock - Pop.

Set: Full set.

Set List:

1. Intro
2. I Feel Like A Woman
3. Up !
4. For Ever & For Always
5. Ka-Ching
6. Don’t Be Stupid
7. That Don’t Impress Me Much
8. Thank You Baby
9. When You Kiss Me
10. I’m Gonna Get You Good
11.That’s It
12.Still The One
13. Rock This Country
14. Nah!

Links: Official site HERE. Informative Wikipedia HERE.

Comments: This is a feisty performance, Shania Twain is accompanied by some excellent musicians.

As far as I know this was a one off show ahead of the Up! Tour which started a couple of months later in her home country at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Her MySpace site states:

Shania Twain was born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on August 28, 1965, the second oldest of five siblings. She was raised in Timmins, Ontario, about 500 miles due north of Toronto, where her adoptive father, an Ojibway Indian named Jerry Twain, and mother, Sharon, had both been raised. It was a proud but, at times, impoverished existence. They struggled to keep enough food in the cupboards, but there was always an abundance of music and love in the household.

Twain often grabbed a guitar and retreated to the solitude of her bedroom singing and writing until her fingers ached. "I grew up listening to Waylon, Willie, Dolly, Tammy, all of them," she recalls. "But we also listened to the Mamas and the Papas, The Carpenters, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. The many different styles of music I was exposed to as a child not only influenced my vocal style, but even more so, my writing style."

It is interesting having read this just how much of these influences do indeed come out, even in this live performance.

Download link in comments below and by clicking on the picture above.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk - Shania Twain

The Bangles - Live In New York 1986

This is the second live concert by The Bangles featured here on Beehive Candy.

I was surprised just how popular the 1983 concert has been in terms of downloads, this however is from the band around their most popular period, with Manic Monday, and Walk Like An Egyptian becoming major hits for the band both sides of the Atlantic.

This gig took place in New York, USA, during 1986, sorry I do not have venue or date details.

Source: FM radio broadcast.

Sound Quality: Very good quality stereo @192kbps mp3.

Genre: Rock to pop - all girl group.

Set: Just over 57 minutes so possible radio edit, however this amounts to sixteen songs.

Set List:

01 - Let It Go (2:47)
02 - Restless (2:48)
03 - Walking Down Your Street (3:21)
04 - James (3:24)
05 - He's Got A Secret (3:30)
06 - September Girls (2:54)
07 - If She Knew What She Wants (4:26)
08 - Return Post (5:07)
09 - In A Different Light (2:34)
10 - Going Down To Liverpool (3:56)
11 - Live (2:45)
12 - Angels Don't Fall In Love (2:59)
13 - Hero Takes A Fall (4:18)
14 - Manic Monday (3:45)
15 - Walk Like An Egyptian (3:39)
16 - Dover Beach (4:55)

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: It's great to see The Bangles touring in 2009, albeit limited to gigs in the USA at present.

I have always been a fan of all girl groups, especially rock orientated, they just seem to bring a spark and freshness to the music, and challenge the sometimes worryingly male dominated music scene.

The Bangles worked very hard in the 1980's, toured far to much, and never took their success for granted, it's great that after a fairly ugly break up, they reformed and seem to have learnt the lesson regarding being on the road for to long.

Download link in comments below and by clicking on the picture above.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk - The Bangles

Jackson Browne - Jabberwocky Club 1971

This is Jackson Browne live in concert a year before he released his debut solo album.

Prior to this Jackson Browne had already written songs for, (and recorded by) Nico, The Byrds, Bonnie Raitt, and The Eagles (with whom he later co-wrote 'Desperado' and 'Doolin' Dalton').

Tracing the roots of Jackson Browne's career leads back to the mid 1960's and Los Angeles and Orange County folk clubs.

Born in Germany to American parents, Jackson's family returned to Los Angeles when he was three. Except for a brief period in NYC in the late 1960's, when he was an integral presence in the coffeehouse scene there, he has always lived in Southern California.

This then is Jackson Browne solo and playing guitar and piano, live at the Jabberwocky Club (a small, 200 seat nightclub), at Syracuse University, New York, USA, back on the 27th, March, 1971.

This is the first known recorded live show of Jackson Browne.

Source: The source is from a first generation master, soundboard recording.

Sound Quality: The sound quality is very good to excellent, very clear and clean, in all very good stereo @192kbps mp3.

Genre: Rock, Folk, Country.

Set: Full concert recording.

Set List:

01 Introduction
02 Under The Falling Star
03 World To Gain ***
04 Together Again ***
05 Mae Jean Goes To Hollywood
06 Last Time I Was Home ***
07 Jesus In 3/4 Time
08 My Opening Farewell
09 From Silverlake
10 Rock Me On The Water
11 Jamaica Say You Will

12 Together Again ***
13 Take It Underground ***
14 When You Lose Your Money ***
15 Our Lady Of The Well
16 These Days
17 Someday Morning
18 Shadow Dream Song
19 Song For Adam
20 Looking Into You

*** Songs that Jackson Browne never recorded for any album.

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: This recording may not be exclusive to this site, however it remains quite rare, especially considering this versions quality.

His debut album, came out a year later on David Geffen's Asylum Records in 1972. Rolling Stone wrote in its original review that, 'Jackson Browne's sensibility is romantic in the best sense of the term: his songs are capable of generating a highly charged, compelling atmosphere throughout, and - just as important - of sustaining that pitch in the listener's mind long after they've ended'.

Material performed on this recording later appeared on his first two albums, some of the songs were never formally released.

Download link in comments below and by clicking on the picture.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk - Jackson Browne

The Stranglers - New Jersey, USA - 1981.

This is The Stranglers back in 1981 on tour in the USA, having just released the first of two albums that year, 'The Gospel According To The Men In Black' or 'Men In Black', as it was entitled in some countries.

This then is The Stranglers live at Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA, on the 11th, April, 1981.

This is from a broadcast on Philadelphia's WMMR 93.3.

Source: FM broadcast WMMR 93.3, first generation copy.

Sound Quality: Very Good stereo @192kbps mp3.

Genre: Post Punk, New Wave, unique sound identity.

Set: One hour recording, may have been other songs on the night, if so, this would have been the latter part of the gig.

Set List:

01. Waltzinblack (intro)
02. Threatened
03. The Raven
04. Toiler on the Sea
05. Just Like Nothing On Earth / Thrown Away
06. Who Wants the World
07. Second Coming
08. Meninblack
09. Shah Shah A Go Go
10. Hallow To Our Men
11. Tank
12. Nuclear Device
13. Genetix

Links: Official site HERE. Useful informative Wikipedia entry HERE.

Comments: The Stranglers formed back in 1974, near 'reasonably' prosperous Guildford, Surrey, England.

It is sometimes forgotten that they originally built up a strong following through performing across the London and surrounding suburbs, pub rock scene.

Their initial commercial success was on the punk, new wave, bandwagon, however they have always been an 'ill fit' in those categories.

Far more 'thought out' messages, and causes, often surfaced in their music.

This is prior to their second album that year 'La Folie' which included 'Golden Brown', which gave the band renewed commercial success.

As was often the case some 28 years ago Hugh Cornwell was vocally spontaneous, and a key part of the gig, which in no small part was down to the excellent musicianship of his fellow band mates.

Download link in comments below and by clicking on the picture.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk - The Stranglers

Guy Clark - Boulder, Colorado, 1990

This is Guy Clark live at the Chautaqua Auditorium, Boulder, Colorado, USA back on the 29th, August, 1990.

This is a solo acoustic set until the last three songs when he was joined by Townes Van Zandt & Robert Earl Keen.

Guy has worked with some of modern country musics finest artists, and had his songs covered by the likes of Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Rodney Crowell, and many others.

On this occasion he has some problems with feedback on his monitor however this cannot be heard on the recording.

Source: Soundboard recording.

Sound Quality: Very Good stereo @192kbps mp3.

Genre: Country, folk, bluegrass.

Set: Full set.

Set List:

01. Texas 1947
02. LA Freeway
03. Doctor Good Doctor
04. Old Friends
05. Homegrown Tomatoes
06. Ramblin' Jack and Mahen
07. Desperadoes Waiting for a Train
08. She Ain't Goin' Nowhere
09. Let Him Roll
10. banter *
11. My Home's Across the Smokey Mountains *
12. Down in the Dungeon *
13. Turnstyled Junkpiled *

* with Townes Van Zandt & Robert Earl Keen.

Links: Official site HERE. MySpace HERE.

Comments: Guy Clark has worked with Emmylou Harris occasionally down the years, it was as a result of this that I took some interest in his music.

One short biography state, 'Guy Clark doesn't just write songs, he crafts them with the kind of hands-on care and respect that a master carpenter (a favorite image of his) would have when faced with a stack of rare hardwood. Clark works slowly and with strict attention to detail'.

His recorded output reflects that, as does his live set here, which I have to say is highly enjoyable, if you like a gentle 'stripped back' acoustic performance.

Download link in comments below and by clicking on the picture.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk - Guy Clark

Mark Knopfler - AVO Session Switzerland 2007

This is Mark Knopfler live in concert (AVO Session), the venue was Festsaal, Messe, Basel, Switzerland, and the concert took place back on the 12th November, 2007.

This is a more complete version of the gig, using two different radio broadcasts for compilation. I am not sure if it is the full show, however I am yet to find any additional songs elsewhere.

There are also a couple of more tracks recorded a week after this show for the BBC in London.

Source: Main Source: Swiss radio DRS3 Broadcast, December 24, 2007.
Second Source: Swiss radio DRS3 Broadcast, November 13, 2007.

Sound Quality: Very Good stereo (from FM analogue cable) @192kbps mp3.

Genre: Rock, Blues, Country.

Set: Full set (unable to confirm), plus two additional tracks.

Set List:

01 Donegan's Gone
02 Song For Sonny Liston
03 Rudiger
04 Let It All Go
05 The Fizzy And The Still
06 True Love Will Never Fade
07 Done With Bonaparte
08 Postcards From Paraguay
09 Brothers In Arms
10 Our Shangri-La

Additional Material.

11 Local Hero ***
12 So Far Away ***

*** The Music Club presented by Simon Mayo, BBC Maida Vale Studios, London, England, Broadcast: BBC Radio 2, 19th November 2007.

Band Line Up:

Mark Knopfler: guitars and vocals
Richard Bennett: guitars
Danny Cummings: drums
Guy Fletcher: keyboards
Matt Rollings: keyboards
Glenn Worf: bass
John McCusker: fiddle & cittern

Links: Official site HERE. Comprehensive Wikipedia HERE. MySpace HERE.

Comments: To be honest I was not that bothered about Dire Straits or Mark Knopfler's subsequent solo career, until he worked with Emmylou Harris, and leaped on to my personal radar.

That he was a superb guitarist was never in question, however I guess I found Dire Straits over played on the radio, and a little 'laid back' for my personal taste, mind you all that is a long time ago now.

In fact listening to this material and some of his live stuff with Emmylou Harris, I reckon I may have missed out on something very good in recent years, and am now back tracking through some great music.

Relacement Download link in comments below or click on the picture - 13th December 2009.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk - Mark Knopfler

Tears For Fears - Live In Cleveland USA 1990

This is Tears For Fears on the American leg of their 1990 world tour.

The picture is from their programme for this significant tour of the band (the printed material may have varied along the way).

Somewhere (I hope) I still have a pristine copy of the tour programme from the UK leg of the tour.

I got to see them in London, and they were incredible, I guess you could say at the peak of their game.

This is a superb recording of the band back on the 12th February 1990, as I understand in the Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Source: First generation soundboard recording.

Sound Quality: Excellent direct stereo soundboard.

Genre: Forerunners of Indie Rock-Pop, Oh! just seriously and consistently great songs and albums.

Set: Full unedited set.

Set List:
101. I Believe
102. Head Over Heels - Broken
103. Change
104. Woman In Chains
105. Advice For The Young At Heart
106. Mad World
107. The Working Hour
108. Famous Last Words

201. I've Got To Sing My Song **
202. Badman's Song
203. Band introductions
204. Sowing The Seeds Of Love
205. All You Need Is Love
206. Everybody Wants To Rule The World
207. Encore break
208. Year Of The Knife
209. Shout

** Oleta Adams performs a song from her 1990 debut album 'Circle of One' (which subsequently went Platinum in the USA).

Band Line Up:

Roland Orzabal - vocals, guitars
Curt Smith - vocals, bass
Adele Bertei - backing vocals
Biti Strauchn - backing vocals
Andrew Davis - keyboards
Carole Steele - percussion
Jimmy Copley - drums
William Gregory - saxaphone, keyboards
Neil Taylor - guitar
Oleta Adams - vocals

Links: Official (TFF) sites are out of date, however Wikipedia is informative HERE. Official fan site HERE.

Comments: Whats great about this recording is the incredible clarity within the sound. It's rather like being up on stage surrounded by your own musical input, and hearing the overall band output from the monitors, and the audience somewhere in the background as you perform.

This really does capture Tears For Fears as they play live, the audience can be heard their in the background, but this is a direct recording of the band, warts and all, and it is so very, very good.

The originator of this material was the live concert sound engineer who sadly passed away in 2005.

For some reason the details of this person are still limited to their initials (R.S.) which seems rather bizarre, that said I am sure there are plenty of people 'in the know' who can appreciatively nod their approval and enjoy this super recording.

Replacement download link in comments below (02 March 2012).

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk: Tears For Fears

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Paris, France - 1998

This is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds performing live for the Black Session, a radio show broadcast on France Inter (French radio station) on this occasion recorded at Le Reservoir, Paris, France, back on the 19th May 1998, with a studio/location audience.

Source: Live 'Black Session' recorded for France Inter in Paris, re-broadcast on the 30th May 2006.

Sound Quality: Very good FM stereo @192kbps mp3.

Genre: Alternative rock, post-punk, roots rock, and above all, Nick Cave with one of the best bands to surface in Australia.

Set: This is the full Le Reservoir live session.

Set List:

01 Lime Tree Arbour
02 Let Love In
03 Stranger Than Kindness
04 Red Right Hand
05 Nobody's Baby Now
06 Do You Love Me (Pt 1)
07 Into My Arms
08 The Ship Song
09 The Mercy Seat
10 Brompton Oratory (Encore).

Links: Official My Space site HERE.

Comments: This is very good audio quality, that demonstrates just how good Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are live.

I have collected most of their releases, (I am an unashamed fan of their music), and to the left of me right now, are a couple of boxed sets of their material, to my right most of the individual CD releases (I kid you not).

It's strange but when I really like an artist or band, I think quite seriously as to whether I should share the material, not particularly selfishly, more along the lines, does it do them justice, will it be deleted by their label, does the band object to bootlegs and so on, at the end of the day we are all just human.

Looking at their official site & the fact they catalogue known bootleg releases hopefully this is not the case with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

On this occasion, the Black Session host Bernard Lenoir, who for this re-broadcast had his comments added some eight years after the original performance, has been edited out.

Download link in comments below, or click on the picture above.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) through Amazon.co.uk: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Earth and Fire - Holland & Germany 1972 & 74

This is Dutch band Earth and Fire performing live on two occasions in the early 1970's.

Earth & Fire were commercially popular in Holland, with a number of hit singles, which were played to a larger audience through offshore radio station Radio Northsea International (RNI) and subsequently Radio Caroline upon their return to air in the early 1970's.

These platforms developed a growing British following, it is also clear the band were enjoyed in other neighboring country's.

Earth & Fire were primarily a 'prog' rock band, that crossed over into the popular mainstream, because basically they made some superb individual songs.

I occasionally describe some music as 'timeless' in other words the music sounds as fresh today as when it was first conceived, some of Earth & Fires songs fall comfortably into this bracket.

The following material is from two separate gigs, the first live in Ijmuiden, Nederland (Holland), on the 17th June 1972.

The second part is best described as a semi official bootleg (apparently it had limited 'official' circulation somewhere, in 1999, I have no idea where), anyway the concert was recorded live at Zur Grille, Germany, on the 21st March 1974.

Source: 1972 concert: audience recording or mono soundboard. 1974 concert: soundboard or FM recording.

Sound Quality: 1972 concert: good quality (if audience - very good). 1974 concert: very good quality, both concerts are highly listenable the second is however the better of them. (both MP3 @ 320kbps).

Genre: Prog Rock, Classic Rock, Quality Pop.

Set: Two concert recordings, I cannot confirm if either are entire sets.

Set List:

Live in Ijmuiden, Nederland, 17 June 1972.

1. In the mountains (3:49)
2. Storm and thunder (7:17)
3. Memories (4:03)
4. Song of the marching children (21:38)
5. From the end til the beginning (4:31)
7. Semi touch (5:13) unreleased.
8. Schluuss parts 1-4 (instrumental) (21:31) unreleased.

Live at Zur Grille, Germany, 21 March 1974.

1. Atlantis theme / In the mountains / Atlantis reprise (7:06)
2. Song of the marching children (22:06)
3. Fanfare (6:21)
4. Memories (4:44)
5. Storm and thunder (8:45)

Band Line Up:

Jerney Kaagman (voice)
Chris Koerts (guitar, voice)
Gerard Koerts (organ, mellotron, piano, keyboards)
Ton Van der Kleij (drums)
Hans Ziech (bass)

Links: Dutch (official?) site HERE. English language fan site HERE.

Comments: The first concert was cleaned up, clearly as a labour of love from a fan, who unfortunately did not include his name with the accompanying notes to the recordings.

The notes are:

First show came to me labelled "Ijmuiden 1974" but this is very doubtful because they only play tracks from their 1972 album ("song of the marching children") and none from their 1973 "Atlantis" album. Plus the band is heard introducing : "In The Mountains from the last LP...." which was released on "song of the marching children" in 1972. And last, I was able to find pictures of Earth and Fire live in Ijmuiden in 1972 on the official earth & Fire website. So, this should be it, a vintage early Earth & Fire show from 1972. Probably recorded from the audience, but the sound is so good...
This show is also special for the unreleased instrumental pieces, with much jamming, very unusual for this band when you think Jerney's voice was its most famous element. But hey, without Jerney's, they're still rocking ! you may even hear some ELP's influences...

There were big issues with this recording :

- speed was much too slow. Jerney, the wonderful singer, seemed to struggle to sing the right notes as if she caught bronchitis. By restoring the right speed, you can hear she was a real good live singer.

- There were so many little dropouts with the sound. Every two or three seconds, the sound went down and up very quickly, as if there was a "hole". This was probably due to damages on the original tape. I corrected every dropout, which took me hours, but the result was worth it.

Second show is the semi official bootleg "Storm and thunder" live in Germany 1974 which was issued in 1999. Sound is also very good (claims to be soundboard but the sound is as good as the preceding 1972 concert).
Notable for the sensational extended rendition of the title track !

My thanks and credits to the provider of this material!

Replacement Download links (two) in comments below (scroll down).

Purchase: CD's through Amazon.co.uk - The Ultimate Collection (3 CD Box Set).

May Music Selection - 2009

Having failed in April to present any new music recommendations, I will try and make up for that this month, so hopefully this is just part one.

I first came across The Mummers late last year, and thought to myself, I must keep an eye on this act, and promptly forgot all about them.

To my delight I was reminded with their appearance last month on Later With Jools Holland (BBC2 TV). Since then I have listened to everything available from them, and cannot recommend them highly enough.

Fronted by the delightful Raissa (Khan-Panni), and with a superb collection of musicians , I would be surprised and very disappointed if The Mummers do not get much wider recognition this year. From Brighton, England check out The Mummers !

Listen:



MP3: March Of The Dawn.
Web Link: Official Site, MySpace.
Buy: The Mummers

Descending Ivory are an three piece all girl group from Uppsala, Sweden, who I discovered through Swedesplease, a site that continues to throw up so many great new and not so new acts, and fantastic music.

They list a lot of influences, but I have to say, have a distinct sound and loads of great raw energy.

Listen:



MP3: Blast From The Past.
Web Link: MySpace.
Buy: No direct link check HERE for more.

Cymbals Eat Guitars were also featured not to long ago on another site (MP3 Hugger), and again struck a chord with me.

I have sat here now for a few minutes trying to think how to describe their sound and am struggling. It is also distinct, however having used that for the last band, lets just say give them a listen, if you like your music loud, energised, with swirling melodies and more.

Listen:



MP3: Indiana.
Web Link: MySpace.
Buy: InSound.com

I deliberately separated The Mummers from Bat For Lashes, with a couple of other tracks, for good reason.

For a start Brighton, England is home town for both acts, and I have noted comparisons between the bands on a number of reviews, however in my opinion they are both quite different, and have very unique elements.

Bat For Lashes is Natasha Khan with some great musicians, I got to see them last summer (supporting Radiohead), and with a new album just out, thought I would give her a justifiable recommendation.

Listen:



MP3: Pearl Dreams.
Web Link: Official Site.
Buy: Bat For Lashes

Finally for this time around, for some time I have been after an old Four Tops song 'Still Water (Peace)',

I have the original on vinyl, however it was rather crackly to say the least. Recently a decent copy of the original album came my way, so I have decided to finish this round up off with the song, for no other reason than it's wonderful.

Listen:



MP3: Still Water (Peace).
Web Link: Classic Motown.
Buy: Four Tops

Bob Dylan - Live In Canada 1962

Having just released his thirty third solo album 'Together Through Life', which has received some very positive reviews, I thought it would be interesting to wind the clock back some 47 years!

This is Bob Dylan back on the 2nd July 1962, live at the Finjan Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a venue that I have no further details of, however judging from the audience, I would imagine it was quite an intimate affair.

This is taken from the Yellow Dog, CD version (Cat No YD010), probably the best bootleg version of this show.

Source: Soundboard recording

Sound Quality: Very good, this version 192kbps (MP3).

Genre: Bob Dylan (early, acoustic, folk period).

Set: Full set (cannot confirm).

Set List:

Death Of Emmett Till
Stealin' (Trad - Memphis Jug Band arr)
Hiram Hubbard (Trad)
Blowin' In The Wind
Rocks and Gravel (Brownie McGhee)
Quit Your Lowdown Ways
He Was A Friend of Mine (Trad )*
Let Me Die In My Footsteps
Two Trains Runnin' (McKinley Morganfield)
Ramblin' On My Mind (Robert Johnson)
Muleskinner Blues (Jimmie Rodgers)

* Traditional song that was registered to Bob Dylan in the US copyright office

Links: Official site HERE. Highly informative 'Bobs Boots' site HERE.

Comments: Bobs Boots summary of this recording is spot on, they say:

The incredible Finjan tape belongs in every collection. Period. This particular CD release is the one to own. Few if any other releases of Finjan can compare to this gem. Some of the other releases have edited out the in between song talking, mistakes, and false starts (which sometimes seem as long as the songs themselves). Nothing is edited here.

The CD captures the moment the recorder was turned on and left to run. This has always been a nice quality soundboard recording, but Yellow Dog has brought it to pure perfection. The audience is pin drop quiet. So much so that this could be a studio recording. The tape is so clean that several times you can hear the guitar case snaps etc. when the stage hand opens it to retrieve harmonicas and a capo. Turn up the stereo, and suddenly Dylan is in the room with you.

This really is a great historical time capsule of Bob Dylan, enjoy.

Replacement download link in comments below (14th April 2011).

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) from Amazon.co.uk - Bob Dylan

Bonnie Raitt - Wolf Trap 1977

This is Bonnie Raitt live at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna, Virginia 22182 USA), way back on the 20th July 1977.

However a CD version of this gig, gives Washington DC as the location, and puts the show back a month to August.

You can often spot a money orientated boot, I guess that was one, however keeping with the Beehive Candy tradition, we share free every time, and withdraw any material if officially requested (we occasionally like to restate that fact, out of personal interest).

Source: WLIR-FM Broadcast Reel Master (digital copy).

Sound Quality: Extremely good stereo MP3 @192kbps.

Genre: Blues, Country, and Rock (unique crossover of styles).

Set: Full set (sorry cannot confirm).

Set List:

01 Concert Introduction
02 What Do You Want The Boy To Do
03 Under The Falling Sky
04 Walk Out The Front Door
05 My Opening Farewell
06 Love Has No Pride
07 Kokomo - Walking Blues
08 Give It Up Or Let Me Go
09 Women Be Wise
10 Too Long At The Fair
11 About To Make Me Leave Home..
12 Sugar Mama
13 Three Time Loser
14 Home
15 Runaway
16 Bluebird

Links: Official site HERE. Wikipedia HERE.

Comments: Bonnie Raitt remains a superb singer and musician, consistently surrounded by extremely good fellow band members.

She should be recognised for a considerable amount more as well.

Bonnie has been environmentally conscious for decades and, also aware of the importance of preserving her American musical heritage that has inspired her own music.

I think we can safely call her an activist on many fronts, this site is however all about the music, an area I feel on more comfortable ground with, therefore I am more than pleased to recommend Bonnie to anyone yet to discover her music.

Oh and she has won Grammys and other awards on a very regular basis.

I am sometimes puzzled as to why this side of the Atlantic (Europe), Bonnie has not gained the same amount of recognition.

Probably because when you check out her track record, she could be mistaken as one of us, or is that just wishful thinking?

Whatever this is one fine recording, and hopefully garners some new fans for Bonnie outside of the USA.

Download link in comments below, or click on the picture.

Purchase: MP3's (DRM free) from Amazon.co.uk - Bonnie Raitt